it's a crazy life, but it's mine

I know how incredibly busy we are.  I mean, all I have to do is look around my house and realize that some days we come in just long enough to sleep, and then we are off again for a new adventure.  Adventure?  Well maybe not too adventuresome, but our life is always some type of adventure.

Two weeks ago, Cydney stayed in Vega at a birthday party, Calleigh was walking in the Walk for Life in Amarillo, Carson was warming up for a football game in Amarillo, and I ran a quick errand with the few minutes I had between dropping Carson off and the actual game. 

As I was putting {over $100 worth...choke, choke} gas in my suburban, I decided to do a few calculations of just how busy the Kirkland family is.  The results were staggering, earth-shaking, and made me a little nauseous.

In a two week period....

          

          ...969 miles

          ...30 hours in the car (engine running....I assume we were in the car!)

          ...$275 in gas

Holy, moly!!!

Two more weekends of football...slow down?  Nope, still have a full calendar and Carson jumps right into basketball!!  So much for rest....

home

After 17 days, 3 destinations, 6 planes rides, 2 rental cars and 6 hotels....WE ARE FINALLY ALL HOME!!! And oh my, does it ever feel good.

I forgot how much I loved my house.  I love my dust.  I love my own washing machine.  I love cooking in my kitchen.  I love sitting on my comfy couches.  I love driving my very own suburban.  I love having more than one room to hang out in as we did in our hotels. I love NOT having to live out of a suitcase.  I just love being home.

But we had so much fun!!!  Disney was a huge success for all, especially Cydney Claire.  Her favorite was probably Minnie Mouse, but when she picked her souvenir...she chose PIGLET!! The big kids favorite was probably Hollywood Studios.  There were big, fun, fast, and exciting rides there.

After several days of Disney, it was nice and relaxing to dip our toes in the water in Marco.  The beautiful tan that came along with that was definitely a plus for me.

Telling my boys good-bye brought tears.  (I am not good at good-byes!)  But the girls and I headed to Virginia for a busy week of Bluedevil basketball.  We didn't fair as well as we had like at the National Tournament, although they did very well.  They placed about 13th out of 34 very good ball teams.  I am super proud of those Texas Bluedevils.

Finally...we flew home with a quick overnight stay in Amarillo for a family reunion.  It is always good to see family that we don't see often.  Sure would have loved to have seen them longer.

But home never felt so good!!

here we go....

As we speak, we have hopped a Southwest bird for hot & sunny Florida.

The Kirkland Klan is on vacation with Mimi & Poppy and the Schroeder crew.

While away, we hope to meet up with Mickey and Minnie.

and a few other Disney characters for handshakes, hugs and autographs.

We even hope to see a princess or two for a quick photo.  Of course, we will be taking several princesses of our own on this trip.

You may know them as..........

Princess Cydney

Princess Calleigh and Princess Bailey

We will visit many kinds of animals at 

Then have some fun at 

Moms and Dads and Mimi and Poppy will need a break from all this fun, so we are headed to Marco Island Florida for the Florida Cattleman's Convention.

I plan to sit on this very beach and soak up some Florida rays. 

Bumming at the beach is my idea of a vacation.

But my kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this pool.
So here is where we will spend hours and hours.

Which is fine by me!!!

Here we will also visit many feedyard customers friends.  I am really looking forward to this.

Then Calleigh, Cydney and I (and the Schroeder crew) will put Mimi and all the boys on a plane home while we jet to 

Hampton, Virgina

for

you guessed it....

a basketball tournament!!!!

Bluedevils will play in the AAU National Tournament. 

We are so excited and hoping for a CHAMPIONSHIP!!

Follow us on Facebook for up to the minute updates.

I will try to keep this blog updated with pictures from all of our summer vacation adventures.

Just typing all this and internalizing what all is going on makes me TIRED!!!

summer top 10

It's here...summertime.  I absolutely love summer.  Not because it means I don't have to get up and go to work, but because I don't have to go to work.  I know that makes absolutely no sense, but it just seems as if life slows down for a brief amount of time.  I love every moment of it.

10.  I love that my yard is usually full of kids playing in the water or doing something fun.  This is one of the greatest things of living in a small town...the kids can go play pretty much anywhere on our side of town and I don't really worry about where they are, who they are with, or what they are doing.

9. I love spending afternoons at the pool.  It makes for a very tired momma and babes, but the time is so worth it.  For as long as I can remember, my two older babes were little fish.  They always loved being in the water.  And could play in for hours on end.  Cydney hasn't taken to water as quickly as the older two, but after today at the pool I have high hopes we will get there.

8.  I love feeling like I have accomplished something during a day.  My house is usually not always clean, but the kids and I do get chores accomplished and it feels good.

7.  Coffee in the old blue rocking chair.  I am sure I have posted before how I love having coffee in our blue recliner.  Robby and I bought it when we first married...16 years ago.  It has rocked all my babies and provided many a good nap for all members of the family.  I love climbing in it first thing of a morning and rocking while enjoying a cup of coffee.

6. Sleeping In.  I am a huge fan of sleeping in (and then moving to the rocking chair).  Thankfully my kids are sleepers too and we do enjoy late mornings through the summer.  Sleeping in actually makes me feel really lazy!!!

5. House cleaning and organizing.  No, I don't love the actual process of cleaning my house, but the end product when it all looks nice, neat, and freshly organized is such a wonderful feeling.  It makes me feel like I have really accomplished something!!

4.  Cookouts & hanging out on our patio.  I love, love, love sitting on our back porch of an evening and watching the kids play in the yard.  We have a huge yard that is great for water games, football games, or just about whatever games the kids want to play.  The evenings have been so windy lately (and don't look promising in the next week), but I still love back porch time.

3.  Staying up late.  My true ME is a night owl.  If I could choose, I would stay up late and sleep in, but that rarely happens because of work.  In the summer, I do enjoy staying up late of an evening.  It is one of the few quiet moments in my day.  Robby and the kids are sleeping while I get a few things accomplished...catch up here on my blog, read a book, watch Grey's Anatomy from many weeks past, or just whatever I choose.

2. Vacation time...As much as I love being home (because we really aren't home all that much during the school year), I do love traveling and going on vacations with my family.  It's always a fun time for our family to spend time together.  This summer we will be traveling to Disney World in Orlando, then on to Marco Island for Florida Cattleman's Convention.  Calleigh, Cydney and I will go straight to Hampton, VA for the AAU National Tourney while the boys fly home.  They we will all meet back at a family reunion.  All in all...the us girls will spend 18 nights away from home IN A ROW!!!  I have never been gone this long in my life. It scares me a little!!

The number one thing I love about summer is just being able to hang out with my kids.  Things are more relaxed and we can just chill and have fun!!!

Hope your summer is amazing!!!  Be blessed..

a little reminder

Just laying around as a subtle reminder of the jobs that didn't get finished during Spring Break.  Reminding me, I should must go through their drawers.  I keep telling myself I am not buying a thing for summer until we have gone through and cleaned out old clothes.  But, I don't want to!!  My kids hate it!!  It would be such a relief to get this reminder off my kitchen counter.  Oh no, then I will never get it done.  On the counter-top it must stay until the job is done.

oh geez!!

I got this email tonight.

It was a concrete reminder of our "bucket list" half-marathon that will be taking place in a few weeks, three in fact!!  As the runs get longer and the time gets shorter, I often find myself asking...
    
     What was I thinking?

I have never previously been a runner, not really in any shape for that matter.

     What was I thinking?

Why not a 5K, or something shorter.  13.1 miles???

     What was I thinking?

We have trained for 15 weeks now.  Pretty faithfully, in fact.  I am in much better shape.  I feel great...most of the time.  We are running with friends. But...

     What was I thinking?

Oh geez!!

Then I remember, we have paid our money and worked really hard...there is no turning back now.

WE CAN DO THIS!!!!

little faith

I have to admit I love that Cydney is a girly girl.

On a regular basis, she loves wearing necklaces and bracelets, rings, flip flops, dresses and lots and lots of lip gloss.  I don't really remember Calleigh being too much of a girly girl, so I love it.  She looks so cute!!!  {I would think she is cute even if she wasn't this girly girl!}

Her girly girl cuteness came to screeching halt this past week.  I came home from Calleigh's basketball practice and found Cydney wearing my wedding ring.  She was playing "married" with one of her cousins while I was gone.  To be an official "married" couple I guess she thought she needed my wedding ring.  Luckily, I found saw it pretty quickly.

When I put my jewelry on Friday morning, my 15th anniversary band was missing.  I knew exactly where it had to have gone.  As I tore through my jewelry drawer, it was no where to be found.  She and her dad stayed home for several hours, but no luck.  We looked after school...practically tearing this house apart.  Still no luck!!

As I sat at my school desk Friday morning, I felt like we were looking for a needle in a haystack.  Cydney and Brock had been in every room in our house, in the back yard and even playing with the calves.  I prayed that the ring would appear as a boulder.  So obvious that we couldn't possibly overlook seeing it.

As we were looking throughout the day on Friday, my hopes for finding the ring became smaller and smaller.  {I hate to admit that I failed to trust God for finding my ring.}

Calleigh, Cydney and I went on to Lubbock for a basketball tourney.  The boys stayed home...still looking for the ring.  Robby wouldn't give up!!!  Carson called several hours later and said they found the ring.  He has been known to be a tricker, so I wasn't sure I could believe him.  Sure enough...Robby found the ring....laying on the carpet in front of the couch Robby and I both looked through the couch on different occasions.  We walked through the living room probably a hundred times.  {In front of the couch, as if it were a boulder where we couldn't miss it.} 

Thank you Lord for your faithfulness and hearing my prayer.  Thank you for not forgetting about me when I seemed to lose my faith.

Be blessed!!

time change

I have never been a huge fan of time change, but I certainly like "falling back" rather than "springing forward." Some how we manage to adjust through the week.  However, this time change has wrecked havoc on our schedule.  We visited at friends house on Saturday night and crawled in bed much too late, especially with losing an hour.  We sleepily crawled out of bed Sunday morning for church, and we were super excited for nap time after lunch.  We couldn't crawl in our napping spot quickly enough....except for the kids who gave the proverbial "I am not tired!" excuse.

Two and half or three hour later, we all managed to pry our eyelids open and crawl out of bed.  Of course...the rest of the day was running behind.  Playtime went on for hours and hours before we finally managed to eat dinner at 9:30.  YES!!  That is crazy late!!!!  About 1:00 (in the morning), my eyelids were wide open.  I knew I was in trouble.

Thankfully the kids slept in this morning, but now the kids and I are on a completely different schedule than poor Robby who isn't able to have Spring Break.  This is one of the very reasons that Robby dislikes summer and school breaks are not Robby's favorite....we sleep in and stay up late.  He gets up early...very early and needs to go to bed early.  Except for when we don't!!

I have to say that I am so thankful that "spring forward" fell during Spring Break.  I think it should happen this way EVERY YEAR!!!  This sure makes it so much easier to catch that hour back.

golf camp

The week we left for Branson, Carson had golf camp in the city.  It made for a busy week, trying to pack for Branson and spending every morning in town for Carson's camp.  The city is a little to far for us to drive in and come back home, so find something to do we must!!  It really isn't that hard.  Shopping is the first thing that comes to mind...sshhhhh!!!

Carson had a great week at week.  I am amazed each year of what he learns while he at camp.  He truly loves to golf.  Speaking from a mom's perspective, I think he is quit good at it!!  On Friday of camp he played 9 holes on the par 3 golf course and shot a 41.  I am pretty sure that I couldn't go out and shoot anything less than or even close to a 41.  Way to go Carson!!!

The fun he had, friends he saw, and the great golf he played was well worth the miles and the time.  Proud of you Bubba!!!

basketball, basketball, and more basketball

We have been super busy since summer began with, you guessed it....BASKETBALL!!!  We have done basketball camp, basketball practice, a basketball sleepover, and basketball tournaments.  It has been non-stop!!  It is something we have become accustomed to, and I have to admit...I do kinda enjoy it.

This past weekend, the Kirkland Krew went to Lubbock for a basketball tournament (and a wedding!)  The Bluedevils usually play in 5th grade leagues to give them good competition (all the Bluedevils are 4th graders!)  In the Lubbock tourney, the 5th grade league did not have enough participants so they bumped us up to the 6th/7th grade league.  I was not really all that thrilled about it.  I worry about someone getting hurt because those girls are so much bigger than our girls.  And they were...they made our little girls look just that....little girls.  

The first game was not so good for the Bluedevils.  They played their hearts out, but came up 3 points short when the buzzer sounded.  It again made me question why we were playing these big girls.  They are just a different league than we are.

However, the loss lit a spark in the Bluedevils and they came back fighting!!!  The girls played 4 games on Saturday to work their way back to the championship game on Sunday.  We also got a little sweet revenge on the team that beat us the night before.  We don't get mad, we get even!!!

We didn't win the championship, but played hard 'til the buzzer rang.  Our girls may be little, but they are full of fight and lots of effort.  Hard work and effort definitely paid off for them.

On Friday, the Bluedevils head to Branson, MO for the AAU National Tourney.  We are so pumped.  I honestly have very high hopes for the outcome of the tourney.  I am excited for a week full of basketball!!! I will keep you all posted on the ins and outs of Bluedevil basketball.

But, for now...it is off to laundry, packing, and golf camp for Carson.  It never ends...

whirlwind

Summer started off like a whirlwind for the Kirkland family.  The kids have been to basketball camp, football camp, and are playing softball.  We have had a Bluedevil garage sale, and a basketball tournament.  Robby and Carson are driving home from a father/son fishing trip as I write this post.  Of course, Little Miss Cydney just tags along where ever she needs to go.

I got a new laptop at the end of school and was determined to sit and down and get back into my blogging habits.  With all that was going on, I was too tired to blog, and I didn't feel like I had anything worthwhile to say.  I also wanted to share pictures with you, but didn't have it all ready for that.  I promise to get back into my blogging habits...for better or for worse!!

Here a precious picture I will share with you to get me started again.  This picture melts my heart...I am so blessed to be a part of their lives!!

surviving

Only 2 more days until sleeping in, afternoons at the pool, and days packed with fun for the Kirkland house.  But until then...we are just surviving!!  Semester test reviews, de-cluttering my classroom, cleaning out lockers and making semester tests are about to do me in.  I think I should have started all this a little sooner.  EEEK!!!  But it's here...and all these icky things just mean that summer is lurking around the corner.  For that, I am extremely grateful.  It is harder and harder to drag my body out of bed for school.  Kids too!!  Mostly because it is harder and harder to drag their bodies in the house from playing outside.  The sun is not going down until 9:00ish.  In the house is NOT where they want to be.  Honestly...who can blame them!!  It is just time for summer to start.  Only 2 more days!!!!  Hope you're getting geared up at your house...

i have great friends

Sunday we woke up with a bed full of kids.  One of my favorite things in the whole world is for all five of us to lay and play in our bed.  Soon it was time for everyone to roll out and get ready for church.  But...we had NOOOO water!!  UGH!!!

Robby and Carson loaded up and headed to his parents for showers.  The girls and I jumped in the car and went to my parents for our showers.  It was a crazy morning.  We eventually all made it to church...one at a time.

Water was not to be had at any time on Sunday.  I quickly discovered that I am NO Pioneer Woman.  I like having water.  I like it a LOT!!!!  The dishes in my sink kept piling and piling.  Every time that I walked by I felt nauseous looking at the mounting  pile of dishes. I hate a dirty kitchen.  If my kitchen is dirty...I feel like my entire house is a mess and I get g.r.o.u.c.h.y.!!!!

That afternoon I had a baby shower to take me away from the mounting mess for a few hours.  It wasn't long before my friends knew that we had no water for the day, and wouldn't have any because it was Sunday!!  One of sweet friends offered to do my laundry for me.  No, she didn't just offer for me to bring my dirty laundry to her house and use her washing machine.  She offered to do all my laundry.  WOW...what a precious friend!!!

This morning I received a text message from another friend that said to bring all my dirty dishes over after school today and she would wash all my dirty dishes so my kitchen would be back in working order.  WOW...another precious friend!!!

I am so blessed to have many precious friends in my life.  But, what kind of friend am I?  Do I stop long enough to offer to do a friend's laundry?   Do I ever get my friend's dirty dishes and help out in her kitchen?  Do I stop long enough to help out my friends when they just need a boost?  A small task that gives them a BIG boost??  I don't know that I do.

Sometimes, I am so absorbed in my own busyness and my own life, that I fail to see what my precious friends are going through.  I fail to see what little things I might could do to make them breath a little easier.

Where can we each help out this week?  I challenge you to (and myself) to look for someone this week that we can help out.  Maybe a friend, maybe a stranger.  Be Jesus to someone this week!!!

I did get water this morning and can do my own laundry and dishes, but it meant the world to me to have my friends offer their time to help me out...

Blessings,

lists, lists, and more lists

I have this crazy love for books, binders, and worksheets that pertain to lists and organization.  I love filling them out, dreaming of the wonderful "fix" they are going to do for my household.  I love searching through the clever ideas others have created for home organization.  I so desperately want my house to run organized and smoothly, but it seems we get so busy with our going and doing that we often push aside our routines.  I will say that things have been so much better since the implementation of our household binder, but we still have some areas of improvement.  I guess we probably alway will. 

I found this website today through an email I receive from Organized Mom.  It has M.A.N.Y. lists to help organize your household, AND mine.  I haven't actually purchased any of them, but I am strongly considering it.  I just don't know which area I want to purchase first.  At first glance, I like the Family Matters and Home Management.  With Spring Break right around the corner, I could stand to do a little spring cleaning. I did notice that I could pay an annual fee of $20 and print all I want.  I don't know!!!  I am still thinking.

It made my heart flutter this Monday morning, and I thought I would pass it on to you!!!

Have a blessed Monday!!

quick update

Things have been super busy with the Kirkland household these past few weeks.  I hate it because I can't even find time to blog.  How can that be?  Blogging is one of my favorite things to do.  Actually, I haven't even read all the blogs I follow.  UGGHHH!!!!

Our days are filled with basketball, basketball, basketball!!!  Calleigh and Carson are both coming to a close of their current basketball leagues.  Calleigh has been playing in two different leagues at the same time...in two different towns...about an hour apart.  What does this mean for us?  We start Saturday mornings in one town, watching the kids play. We grab a bite of lunch on the road, and head to the city for Calleigh's basketball with the Blue Devils.

In between the kids basketball, we have been going to Longhorn basketball games.  The high school boys basketball team made it to the playoffs.  My brother-in-law is the head coach.  Not to mention that we are huge Longhorn fans...Vega Longhorns that is. This weekend they will be playing in the Regional Tournament.  We are all super excited, yet a little nervous.  I want so badly for them to make it the state tournament next weekend.  What an amazing experience for the basketball boys, my kids, and all the Longhorn fans.  As you can see...My Life is a Circus.

Part of the busyness has come from my work.  Yesterday, my 7th graders had their BIG writing test.  We have working so hard to make the final preparations for their success on their test.  I hate all the stress that a state mandated test brings for teachers, but especially students.  My thoughts on state mandated testing is whole other post in itself.  Calleigh also had to take a TAKS Writing test in 4th grade.  She felt very confident in her test.  For that, I am very happy!!  Funny thing is...the prompt for her writing test was to write a composition about a time when she found something.  Guess what she wrote about...finding her iTouch....in the TOILET!!!  So glad that experience could provide a story for her 4th grade Writing TAKS.

Have a blessed weekend!!!!

rock climbing

This past weekend the kids celebrated a nephews birthday but going to the new Amarillo Rock Climbing House.  Everyone had to sign a waiver to be able to climb.  As I read the waiver, it scared me to death.  What was I signing my kids up for?  

But as it turned out...What a fun time!!!  Of course, the kids just loved it.  Carson was up and down, and all around. I am not too sure he isn't part monkey!!  

(I forgot my camera, so pics from my phone will have to do.)

Cydney and I...well we probably enjoyed ourselves the most.  We spend a great deal of the time in the party room enjoying the giant cookie cake.  Cookie cakes from the Great American Cookie Co. have to be one of my all time favorite things in the world.  Definitely one of my favorite things about birthday parties.  I think Cydney would agree!!

Robby...another story!!  He enjoyed himself alright.  

He forgot that he was closer to 40, than 20.  

He is very athletic though, and loves being involved in sports and trying new things.

CLIMBING!!!!

Losing his grip...

OUCH!!!

Now, that a cruel reminder that we are close to 40!!

Quit honestly, even though it is huge and swollen here...it looks really good.  As the week progressed, his entire foot was swollen, it started as purple and is now beginning to turn greenish.  Even his poor little toes have bruised.  CRAZY!!!

I am really not the nurse type.  I am more of a toughen up type of person.  HA!!!

But, this week God has used this to soften my heart.

I have loved being able to take care of him.

I love this GUY!!!

But, I would prefer that he not go rock climbing in the near future.  He probably shouldn't push his luck with my soft heart.  hehehe!!!

Have a blessed DAY!!!

i am still here

My Life is A Circus...and the circus has been in full swing the past few weeks.  Between Junior class sponsor and planning a prom, basketball with the kids, and managing our home...I am tired.  Not to mention the fact that the inches and inches of snow that fell almost three weeks ago is lingering around forever.  For two weeks, the sun failed to show it's bright and shiny face.  It has made me feel gloomy and I have had nothing inspiring to tell you...so, I didn't blog.  All this snow has made me think of those that live in the "frozen tundra" as Mckmama would say...I just couldn't do it. I could not live where there is an enormous amount of snow for many, many months.  I am cold, and extremely tired of mud being strewn through my house.  I am tired of ski clothes piled everywhere.  I am tired of kids bundling up to play in the snow for 10 minutes and then come in soaking wet and freezing....and whining. 

But this one thing I do know...my husbands wheat crop is lavishing in this moisture.   For that, I am thankful!! Extremely thankful!!  I am praying now that the crops escape any severe weather that tends to come our way during the spring months, and he has a bountiful harvest this year.

**********

Calleigh and I spent weekend before last traveling with her basketball team.  They played in a 5th/6th grade tournament (they are all 4th graders) and placed 2nd.  I am so proud of them all.  They played terrific.  However, it was lots and lots of basketball crammed into two days, and it made for a really exhausting week last week.  We drove worrying about where we were going to hit the impending weather.  I am a fair weather girl...if there must be weather, I want to be home!!  We made it home safe and sound...no weather. 

 

**********

Remember during the snow storm, Cydney sent Calleigh's itouch swimming in the toilet???  It is still alive and well.  On the other hand, Carson took his itouch to school with him and someone stepped on his backpack and crushed the face of his itouch.  I had one of my not so proud mothering moments.  After I blew my steam, I had to apologize to Carson for being so hard on him.  We sent it off to Apple, and we should be receiving a new itouch this week sometime. Hopefully we will take better care of our new "toys."

Hope your have had a fantastic two weeks.  Be blessed!!!

we made the news

It almost never happens that our little town makes the news.  On the occasion we do make the news, it for our athletic teams making it to the playoffs, or a huge drug bust taken place on I-40.  That is common news around here.  Almost doesn't even phase us anymore.

But news like this....NEVER!!

News like this happens in California, or Haiti...not in Vega.

You heard it first...an earthquake in our tiny town.  Well, it wasn't actually the epicenter.  But here in the middle of no where....it's all relative.

VEGA, TEXAS -- If you live in or near Vega then you may have felt a little rumbling Thursday morning. The US Geological Survey recorded a earthquake 12 miles north north east of Vega. According to the USGS the quake measured 3.8 on the Richter scale. We have a crew headed that way. Stay tuned to Pronews 7 and be sure to check back here at connectamarillo.com for an update.

That's it!!  Four sentences!!

It didn't mention that people were panicked and running through the streets.  Or that house crumbled to rubble.  Or that my satellite dish was not working.  Oh wait, that could be because it is frozen.

Nope, we are all just happy, healthy, snowy, and frozen today.  A few did feel it, but not my house.  We snoozed right through each and every tremble.  

I might should go home this afternoon and see if the pictures are hanging a little crooked, or there are cracks in the walls.  Well that might be due to the three ring circus that takes place each day in that very house....not an earthquake.  

Hope your day is warm and blessed!

made my heart pitter patter

Yesterday I passed on the Fly Lady's website.  Her focus for the month of January is was developing a habit of cleaning your kitchen sink everyday.  This is also Day 1 of her 31 day challenge to bring order to your life and home.  (That's a full time job in my house.)

After writing my post, I did it.  I tackled that kitchen sink with great gusto.  I was excited that at least my kitchen sink would be clean.  The excitement transpired to a good cleaning and bleaching of my entire kitchen.  All the cabinets wiped down, the cabinet tops sparkling, the knobs disinfected, and even the tile.  All the junk and mail strewn over the island is gone.  All that sits there tonight is my camera and an extra lens.  Nothing to keep it company...ahhh!!

But each time I walked through my kitchen this afternoon, it made my heart go pitter patter.  What is it about a clean kitchen makes the whole house seem so much cleaner?  It's crazy!! Cydney's toys could be all over the living room...I can just walk right through them to the recliner to rock her.  But a messy kitchen makes my stomach wrench.

Not tonight though...a clean kitchen it is in our home.  And a smile on this mommy's face.

Goodnight all...have a blessed week.

snow day #3

Before the snow settled in this week, a dear friend stopped me on the side of the road (we can do things like this in our small town) and shared with me some information that she had on organizing and bringing order to our circus.  Honestly, I threw it on the dash of my car for the moment with every intention of going through it with a fine tooth comb later that evening.  As you well know, this month has been dedicated to bringing organization to the chaos of our home.  We have done really well in some areas, and still have some work to do in other areas.  What I want is for our home to function smoothly and orderly.  What I don't want is for our house to lose all flexibility and those that live with me to feel like they can't really "live" here.  I often lose practicality and want everything in order.  Robby has to remind me that we live here...our home is not a show home, but one filled with growing children and lots of love.

When mother nature dumped a foot of snow in my yard, we were grounded to our home for going on day 3 now.  The kids are going crazy.  They need to fulfill the social needs they have missed the last two days of school.  But myself, not so much.  I love it!!!  I love that my car in snowed into the garage.  I love that my sweet hubby hasn't had a single minute to clear our driveway.  I love it that I have not had to wear make-up for three straight days.  I did get out of my pajamas today and wear REAL clothes.  I also love that I have had an opportunity to get a few things accomplished in my house.  One of the main things was clearing the sea of mail, school papers, and junk from my island.  Hubby and I have always had this issue with coming into the house and dumping everything in our hands on the island.  Over a few days...it begins to unravel my nerves.  I become a little psychotic...just ask Robby and the kids.

Being snowed in, I also took some time to look at the bundle of papers given to me by my friend.  This little bundle of papers was from the Fly Lady.  The name rings a bell to me, but not really sure why.  As I began reading through the bundle of papers from my friend, I realized that I was already doing some of the things that the Fly Lady suggested.  I don't know about you, but it feels good when something we are already doing is affirmed by a "professional."

If you are looking for some organizational tips or a complete makeover of your household organization, I encourage you to head over to Fly Lady's website and see what she has to say.  She surely doesn't say to dump the entire house into the front to begin your makeover, but to take baby steps into making your home the happy place for you and your family.  She has a 31 day plan.  I haven't even looked through the entire plan, but I like the sound of Day 1.

As for now, I am off to shine my sink.  For real...the kids are out playing in the snow.  Cydney is playing with her baby.  What better time to take a few minutes to complete Day 1...shining my sink.

Have a super Saturday!!  Be blessed!